Changes in the Dynamics of the Taiwan Strait due to Taiwan's Success in Controlling the Novel Coronavirus

The objectives of this paper are to elucidate Taiwan's successful COVID-19 measures as well as the conditions surrounding the deterioration of Cross-Strait relations and to identify future prospects. The author has demonstrated the success of Taiwan's Novel Coronavirus countermeasures and shown that China's increasingly hardline policies toward the rest of the world and Taiwan in particular have contributed to unstable Cross-Strait relations. First, Taiwan's successful anti-epidemic policies have done much to boost Taiwanese self-esteem. Second, within Taiwan, the majority view identified China as the source of the trouble, not the DPP. Third, with US-China relations deteriorating even further as a result of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the US began to actively "showcase" Taiwan's success. Fourth, China's Taiwan policy is expected to remain deadlocked for the time being. US-China relations are increasingly worsening, Taiwanese public opinion is trending toward increasing distance from China, and all that remains of China's Taiwan policy is "placing hope on the mainland itself." Thus, the Cross-Strait relationship is expected to continue deteriorating well into the future.